Apple iPad 2 and Smart Cover (photos)

Apple's next-generation iPad, the iPad 2, is slimmer, more colorful, and tricked-out with a boatload of new features.

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Meet the iPad 2

Apple's CEO Steve Jobs took to the stage in San Francisco to unveil the highly anticipated iPad 2. This next-generation Apple tablet is 33 percent thinner and 15 percent lighter than the previous model, but has the same price tag and is packed with new features.

Dorsal side

The polished back cover conceals internal tech specs, like a dual-core A5 processor that Apple claims will make the iPad 2 up to twice as fast for CPU functions and nine times faster than its predecessor when it comes to mobile gaming.

Front-facing camera

Thinner than iPhone 4

The height and width may look similar, but in terms of thickness, the iPad has done some dieting. It shrank from 13.4mm thick on the original model to 8.8mm thick for the iPad 2. It's thinner, even, than the iPhone 4.

Perks aplenty

As even better perks, the Smart Cover automatically puts the tablet to sleep when you snap it on and wakes it up when you take it off. The paneled covers are foldable, too, to serve as a stand in landscape and portrait modes.

Magnetic attraction

iOS 4.3

The iPad 2 gets a software upgrade as well. iOS 4.3 will introduce new apps like GarageBand, Photo Booth, and iMovie for iPad. It will also get support for AirPlay and AirPrint in addition to four-finger multitouch.

Multitouch

White!

Apple has historically had trouble giving users the promised white models of its iOS devices, but CEO Jobs promised that the iPad 2 will come in white at launch, in addition to the signature black color. March 11 is the magic day here in the U.S. It will arrive in stores in 26 other countries on the 25th.

Two cameras

A major complaint with the first iPad was its lack of cameras. As we mentioned, Apple's second stab has two: a front-facing VGA resolution camera, and rear-facing shooter offering 720p video recording.